The Princess and the Traiter
by Allycat33
Summary: Amu wakes up one night to a soft, sweet violin melody playing on the street below her balcony.  She goes outside to find Ikuto, who has gotten sick of the games between them.  Songfic...kinda.
1. Chapter 1

Finally, a new story! Wow, it's been a while. But I wanted to post something, since it's been so long...

So, I decided to post this. It's just a little "fluff", and I know it's definitely not my best writing, but oh well. I just don't really know what else to do with this...

It was going to be a one-shot, but then it got too long, so now it's a two-shot. However I'm uploading both chapters right away because I don't know when I'm going to have time to write anything else. So just let me know what you guys think!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Shugo Chara! or any of the characters mentioned. I also don't own the song, which belongs to Jim Croce.

The Princess and the Traitor

Part I: I'll have to Say I Love You in a Song

Wind lightly whips my hair against my cheeks as I soar through the sky. My body feels so light, as if I'm being carried by the wind. The sun warms my bare back and legs. I can't remember a time when I've felt so free.

Suddenly, I begin to descend. The ground draws near almost instantly, but there is no sensation of falling. Rather, my descent is being controlled, but not by me. I'm placed carefully on my bare feet. I squeeze my toes together against the grass tickling the soles of my feet. Behind me, a voice says, "Ah, here's my beautiful princess!"

I turn slowly to see Tadase's red lips smiling happily at me. His blond hair is slightly mussed from the wind and his ruby eyes are bright as he begins to hand me a bouquet of red roses.

I smile back and reach out my hand to take them, but before I can, a familiar haunting melody floats to me on the wind. I blink in surprise and then gasp. In the millisecond I'd had my eyes closed, Tadase's usually tidy blond hair has thickened and elongated to a shoulder-length, black mop. His eyes have darkened to an enveloping midnight blue. His nose, usually pointed up adorably, is now perfectly straight and his mouth, red and quick to smile, now has full lips and a confidant smirk. His arms and legs and torso have stretched until he's now at least a head taller than me and the bouquet is replaced with a familiar violin tucked under a strong chin and a bow, held with long, musically elegant fingers, gliding across the strings.

My eyes flutter open to reveal the darkness of my pink, girly room and I realize I had been asleep. I sit up in bed and stretch my stiff limbs a bit before I notice that the violin melody has followed me out of my dream and into the real world. I just barely hear it through my closed balcony door.

Almost as if I'm hypnotized I get out of bed, slide open my balcony door and go outside. The darkness is deep – it's the early hours of the morning – but streetlamps break into that darkness, casting long shadows that mingle with the night.

The streetlamp near my balcony is broken; it flickers on and off, but more often than not provides little to no light. I squint through the darkness until I see a tall figure standing in the middle of the street. Though I can't see his face I recognize the posture and height from my dream. It's Ikuto: he's the only person I know who can play the violin with such pure emotion. Actually he's the only person I know who can play the violin at all.

I lean against my balcony ledge and close my eyes. A small smile flits across my lips as I let the music flow into me. A stillness seems to pour over me as I listen; I'm not even sure I'm listening anymore.

Then, much too soon, the music stops. I wait, hoping Ikuto will start playing again, but there's only silence. I open my mouth to speak when I hear a very soft breath break into the quiet.

Finally, the music begins again, but this melody is different. It has a moderate tempo, faster than the song Ikuto had been playing moments before. It takes me a minute to figure out that I know the song – in fact, it's one of my favorite old American love songs. I begin to blush as the translation runs through my mind:

_Well, I know it's kind of late._

_I hope I didn't wake you,_

_But what I got to say can't wait._

_I know you'd understand._

_Every time I tried to tell you_

_The words just came out wrong,_

_So I'll have to say I love you in a song._

_Yeah, I know it's kind of strange,_

_But every time I'm near you_

_I just run out of things to say._

_I know you'd understand._

_Every time I tried to tell you_

_The words just came out wrong,_

_So I'll have to say I love you in a song._

_Every time the time was right_

_All the words just came out wrong,_

_So I'll have to say I love you in a song._

The last notes of the song ring out in the black of night. They seem perpetual, hanging on desperately so the blaring silence doesn't return. It does, even against those notes' most desperate fight.

I feel a rush of air and a voice behind me whispers, "'Every time I tried to tell you the words just came out wrong.'"

I feel his shrug as it stirs the air around me and I whirl around, my heart pounding. "Wh-what do you mean?" I stammer. There's no way that Ikuto can't hear my heart thumping against my ribs and I thank God that it's dark; my cheeks feel like they're on fire.

Ikuto's face is hidden by shadows. He's silent for so long that the broken streetlamp flickers on and off three times, allowing me a glimpse of his carefully guarded face. His mask is constructed so skillfully if I didn't know him so well, I wouldn't know how uncertain he is.

Finally, Ikuto answers, "I mean, I want you to be mine, and _only_ mine." Even behind Ikuto's mask, even through the darkness, I see the possessive glitter in his eyes. He reaches up and brushes a lock of my messy, bed head hair behind my ear. I shiver involuntarily.

I take a step back and bump into the balcony ledge. "Y-yours?" I say, my voice high and timid and shaky. I grip the ledge tightly behind me.

"Mine," he confirms calmly. "The games, though fun, are getting exhausting. I'm done playing. I want _you_."

Ikuto takes a step towards me. Though we aren't touching, his proximity is intoxicating. My mind is steadily going blank and my nerves are tingling, my fingers longing to reach out to caress his cheek, to tangle in his hair, to trace his mesmerizing lips.

"I'm tired of you pretending that every touch is accidental, that every kiss didn't happen." He reaches out and molds his hand to the nape of my neck, pulling my face closer to his. "I need you to leave the Kiddy King's little fantasy world and join me in the real one. I _need_ you with me."

At the mention of Tadase, though, I seem to snap out of a trance. I turn my face away from his, barely hearing the rest of his declaration, concentrating on calming myself so I don't start crying. I can feel it building in my throat, the familiar dryness before bursting into tears, the burning in my eyes, the quiver in my bottom lip.

"No," I whisper, my voice shaking. I feel Ikuto's fingers stiffen against the back of my neck. I look back up. "No," I say again, this time with more strength. "I can't." I spread my fingers across his wide, muscular chest and heave with all my might, but he doesn't budge.

Rather, he grabs the tops of my arms lightly, pulling them off his chest and down by our sides, but never letting go. My skin burns where his hands grasp it.

"What?" Ikuto asks sharply.

"I can't join your world." My throat, still dry, is closing up, making it difficult to talk.

"_You don't love him_!" Though he's angry – it's apparent in his voice – he manages to keep his grips on my arms loose. I can't help but admire his self-control.

"I know I don't."

"Then _why_?"

I shake my head. "There's a reason I pretend, Ikuto." A breeze begins to whisper between us, blowing my hair lightly around. "You started hitting on me while I was in elementary school. You were in high school. You're a player." I shrug, not apologetically. In my mind it's as simple as that. "I know you'll hurt me."

At that moment, the streetlamp behind me flickers on and for the first time all night I can see Ikuto's face clearly. His carefully constructed blank mask has completely crumbled. I can see volumes of hurt and vulnerability on his face and it shocks me to my very core.

I suddenly feel hot streaks pool down my face and I realize that the tears I had been so desperately holding back had finally broken free, spilling down my cheeks and leaving dry tracks of salt.

"I'm sorry," I say, both to Ikuto and myself, and I truly mean it. "So sorry."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Shugo Chara! or Can't Stop My Heart From Loving You, which belongs to Diane Warren.

Part Two: Can't Stop My Heart From Loving You

I slide sideways, out of Ikuto's burning grip, and his arms fall to his sides. I slip around him and practically bolt back to the sliding door leading to my room. Ikuto catches my arm before I can get inside and pulls me back. He whirls me around to face him, keeping a tight grip on my wrist.

"Let me go," I say furiously.

"Never," he growls. "Don't you _see_ that, Amu? _I love you_. I _can't_."

I struggle against his grip, but he tightens it. "You say that now, Ikuto," I cry, "but what happens when a more interesting girl crosses your path?"

He chuckles once, humorlessly and hard. "More interesting that you? That isn't possible."

I ignore him. "What happens when you get bored?"

"That isn't ‒"

"It will happen! Maybe not now, but in 10, 20 years? Ikuto, you weren't made for a long-term commitment!" I pause, sucking in a rattling breath. I reach my hand up and stroke his cheek apologetically. "The only reason you've stuck around this long is because I'm as good as a mouse for you to chase."

I forcefully twist my arm and Ikuto loses his grip. I yank my arm away and retreat into my room, slamming the sliding door closed and lock it, then pull the curtains closed.

I take a few hesitant, shaky steps to my bed and collapse onto it, bursting into tears, regretting everything I'd said but knowing at the same time that it was necessary. Ikuto makes a great friend, of course, but I know without a doubt that if we were to take our relationship to the next level. . . . I just know _I _would be the one breaking then.

There has to be a point where you stop sacrificing yourself for others' happiness.

A low, keening sound creeps its way to my ears between my sobs. A soft voice, mournful, singing a slow, sad melody. Ikuto. I stifle my sobs, straining my ears to hear the words:

"_You can think that I'm just playing games._

_You can think I'll do you wrong._

_You can think that I don't mean a word I say._

_You can think what you want._

_But if you think you're gonna stop _

_The way I feel about you, baby, _

_You're just wasting your time,_

'_Cause I'm not changing my mind."_

I slowly sit up, confused. It takes me a while to recognize the song, but when I do I realize it's another old love song, the tempo slowed down, making it sound sad and lamenting.

"_Can't stop the rain from falling down,_

_Can't stop the world from turning 'round, oh, _

_Can't stop my heart from loving you._

_No, no, no, no, no matter what you do, baby."_

I stand and hesitantly shuffle to my balcony. I gingerly place my hand against the glass, murmuring, "Ikuto." I take a deep breath and, with shaking fingers, pull aside the curtain. Ikuto looks mildly surprised, but doesn't stop.

"_You can trust that I'm gonna stay around._

_You can trust I'll treat you right._

_You can be sure that I won't ever let you down;_

_Sure as there are stars in the sky._

_And if you think there'll ever come a day_

_I'll live without you, baby, _

_You're as wrong as can be._

_Can't change the way that I feel."_

My fingers fumble for the lock on the door, and after a few seconds of struggling with it, I succeed in pushing it up. I slide the door open and Ikuto's voice cuts out. Silence encloses us.

I breathe in and quietly begin to sing where Ikuto left off. My voice is shaky at first, but grows with every note. After a few lines Ikuto joins in, looking bewildered.

"_Can't stop the rain from falling down,_

_Can't stop the world from turning 'round, oh, _

_Can't stop my heart from loving you._

_No, no, no, no, no matter what you do, baby."_

Just as if we're in a movie, Ikuto wraps his arms around me, pulling me close. I close my eyes and let my head rest on his chest.

"_Can't stop a river running free,_

_Can't stop this love I feel in me, oh,_

_Can't stop my heart from loving you._

_No, no, no, no, no matter what you do, baby._

"_Can't stop the wind, can't stop the sea._

_Can't stop the feeling I feel in me._

_Night needs the stars, stars need the sky_

_And I will always need you here in my life._

"_So if you think you're gonna stop _

_The way I feel about you, baby,_

_You're just wasting your time_

'_Cause I'm not changing my mind._

"_Can't stop the rain from falling down._

_Can't stop the world from turning 'round, oh._

_Can't stop my heart from loving you._

_No, no, no, no, no matter what you do, baby._

"_Can't stop a river running free._

_Can't stop this love I feel in me, oh._

_Can't stop my heart from loving you._

_No, no, no, no, no matter what you do, baby."_

Silence envelops us again with the end of the song, but I break it quickly.

"Ikuto," I begin, reluctantly pulling my head away from his chest to look up at him. "I. . . . I can't."

"Do you love me?" he asks quietly.

I ignore him, my face heating up. "I'm just a game to you. Something tantalizing, dangling right in front of you, but just out of reach. You love the challenge of getting me." I force myself to pull out of Ikuto's embrace, knowing it's for the best, knowing it'll hurt much more if – when – he breaks my heart. I take a few steps back. "But you don't love _me._"

Ikuto's silent for a few moments. Then he says quietly, "Stop. Just . . . stop, Amu."

"Stop what?" I ask, caught off guard. I'd been expecting . . . I don't know what. But certainly not this nearly silent pain.

"Stop lying to yourself."

"_What_?" I say, incredulous. "I'm not lying-"

"Yes you are," he interrupts. "You're telling yourself I'll hurt you, but you know it's not true. You just don't want to face the truth: you're too weak to go against what's expected of you."

"What's expected of me?" I repeat. "That's ridiculous. There's _nothing_ expected of me!"

"Isn't there?" He takes a step closer to me, saying, "You're with Tadase because everyone expects you to be. You had a tiny little crush on him that got blown way out of proportion and now you don't want to go against it because it's too inconvenient to explain why the princess doesn't want to be with the prince anymore, when everyone expects them to end up together. Happily ever after," he scoffs.

I shake my head, understanding where he's going with this. "No."

"But you don't want the prince. You want me. The villain. The traitor."

"I look down. "_No_."

"But you can't disappoint everyone, and they wouldn't understand, anyway. So you lie to yourself because it's easier than facing the facts: that you're a spineless, nonconfrontational, selfish _princess_," he spits.

_Slap_!

I stare at my raised hand in shock. I don't even remember lifting it. But the red hand-shaped mark appearing on Ikuto's cheek proves that I did.

"I am not," I begin, my voice shaking, "spineless, nonconfrontational, _or _selfish. And I am most _definitely_ not a princess."

"Prove it," Ikuto says. "Because you will be if you don't stop worrying about what's expected of you, and start worrying about what you want."

Ikuto turns to leave, bending down to pick up his violin, and in those few seconds I realize that he's right. About _everything_. Of course he is. He knows me so well, how can I _not_ know that he's right?

"Ikuto, wait," I say just as he's climbing over the ledge of my balcony. I grab his arm and spin him to face me, just as he did to me twenty minutes ago.

It's time to face myself. To stop lying. To make the right choice, even though it seems like it will be painful.

Because I was wrong before. It won't be more painful to have Ikuto break my heart. It'll be more painful to never know what we could have. To never know what we _will_ have. And in the end, if I'm right, at least I'll be a tougher person for it.

And if I'm wrong, I'll have the love of my life with me through all the hardships. And that's some pretty damn good company, if you ask me.

So instead of pleading with him, like he did with me, I make the decision of my life and pull his head down to mine and kiss him.

Ikuto wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. My arms snake around his neck and one of my hands finds its way up to Ikuto's soft hair. He's holding me so tightly that his violin case begins to dig into my back. I pull my mouth away, grimacing.

"What?" he asks, looking nervous – a sight I've never seen.

I laugh, realizing that my pained look is probably making him self-concious. Then I stop, deciding that my laughter probably isn't helping the matter. "Oh, it's nothing," I answer. "I just . . . sort of feel like you're trying to stab me in the back with your violin."

Comprehension floods his face and he grins his special grin. The one I know he saves just for me. "What? Didn't you like it?"

I lightly smack his chest. "Pervert."

"How was that perverted?" Ikuto asks innocently.

"With you, everything is perverted." I can't help but smile at being sucked back into our familiar "argument".

His grin turns into a familiar smirk as he says, "You love it."

My smile drops, my expression turning serious. I look straight into Ikuto's sapphire eyes as I say, "I love _you_."

Ikuto's smile softens and he looks right back into my honey-colored eyes. "I love you, too."

Our lips meet and we kiss softly, sweetly, and I can't help thinking that this is definitely worth a little pain in the future.

So, yeah. Just a little fluff for everyone at the end there. What did you think? Leave comments, please! I always appreciate constructive criticism!

By the way, for those of you Harry Potter fans, I'm working (slowly) on a long fic for that. With some romance between characters that I've never seen with romance in any other fanfic before. But I'm not going to say who! You'll find out! If I ever finish it between college, two jobs, and homework...

Thanks for reading, guys!


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